


Shocking Secrets

by Jellybean96



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Confessions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s05e10 Diamond + Quake + Carbon + Comms + Tower, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Light Torture, Love Confessions, Murdoc is definitely a MacRiley shipper, Pre-Relationship, You can't change my mind, but not really, episode speculation, forced confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29704053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jellybean96/pseuds/Jellybean96
Summary: "Oh, now, don't be like that. We always have tons of fun together. And we're about to have some more right now. And look" — he steps back and gestures around him — "I even brought some friends of yours to join in on the fun."...Or, Murdoc's interference allows the team to be honest with each other, with a painful incentive to help move things along.
Relationships: Angus MacGyver/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen (minor/background), Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	Shocking Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new story for ya! I definitely had fun writing this one after I learned about the synopsis for episode 5x10, and then thought of a specific scene from a show that I love. The idea wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it, so here you go. I won't tell you the scene yet, but like I said, I had fun writing this one. And I have no doubt in my mind that Murdoc is a MacRiley shipper. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

"Wakey wakey, Angus. You'll miss out on all the fun."

Groaning when he registers the pounding at the base of his skull, Mac is just barely able to lift his head, but it's enough to see who's standing right in front of him. That same psychotic smile that has haunted his dreams more often than he'd care to admit.

"Murdoc…"

"In the flesh," the assassin says, standing back and holding his arms out. "So nice to see you again, Angus. It's been too long."

Mac groans again as he sits up as straight as he can in his chair. "Not long enough."

"Oh, now, don't be like that. We always have tons of fun together. And we're about to have some more right now. And look" — he steps back and gestures around him — "I even brought some friends of yours to join in on the fun."

Mac looks to where Murdoc indicates, his eyes widening when he sees the three other figures sitting in chairs, all of them awake and looking right back at him. Bozer's sitting a few feet to his left, Desi's across from Bozer, and Riley's right next to her. He glances at each of his friends individually, taking a moment to assess them for any visible surface injuries, his eyes lingering just a moment longer on Riley. He finds no injuries and he's unsure if that's a good or bad thing just yet.

He turns a near-murderous glare on Murdoc. "What the hell is this?"

Murdoc tuts, waving a finger. "Now now. Don't jump the gun, Angus. All will be revealed in due time. I give you my word."

"Your word doesn't mean anything to me."

"Perhaps. But I have some...exciting stuff in store for all of us. Unfortunately, I have some other things that require my attention at the moment, but I will be back. It should only take me a few minutes. Try not to miss me too much." Murdoc smiles and then makes his way out of whatever room they're being held in, the metal door clanging closed loudly behind him.

Focusing his attention on the restraints holding his arms and legs to the chair, he twists and turns, pulling hard. He almost thinks one of them is starting to give, but all it's doing is cutting into his wrist.

"It's no use, man," Bozer says. "Desi already tried that."

"He took your knife too," Riley tells him. "I don't think we're getting out of here anytime soon unless a Phoenix team bursts through that door right now."

Mac shakes his head. "No, there has to be something. There's always something." He swallows. "Matty will know something's up when she can't get a hold of anyone and she'll send a team to find us."

"That could be hours from now, man," Bozer responds. "There's no guarantee Matty will have a mission before Murdoc's done with us. Or that she'll even know where to start looking."

"We were all knocked out when Murdoc brought us in here," Desi adds. "I woke up first, then Bozer, then Riley, and then you, Mac. We could be anywhere."

Mac sighs heavily. "Well, then, let's hope Matty already realized something was wrong and sent a team to find us."

"Oh, I wouldn't hold out too much hope on your precious Matilda to find you," Murdoc's voice carries through the room as he approaches. Mac hadn't even heard the door opening. "I will admit that I admire her drive and resilience. Of course, I'd admire it much more if she wasn't always hunting me down and sticking me in a cell...but, what can you do?" He stops in the center of the room, turning to look at all of them with that creepy smile. "Now then, time for the games to begin."

Mac watches with curious eyes as Murdoc moves about the room for a moment, and then pulls a cart closer to the group, some kind of machine sitting on top of it. He can't make out what it is, but if he could get closer, he might be able to use it to get everyone out. If only he could move. He needs to figure out how to get out of the chair first, and then he can work on getting his friends to safety.

He's brought back to the present by the sound of Riley's vocal protests. His head snaps in her direction, but his view of her is being blocked by Murdoc's body.

"Hey! Stop it." Mac pulls at his restraints, letting out a frustrated groan at the reminder that he can't get out. "What are you doing to her?"

Murdoc looks at him over his shoulder. "Be patient, Angus. You'll have your turn soon enough, as will the others, once Riley's done."

"Done with what? What is all of this?"

"It's very simple," Murdoc says, standing up straight and stepping over to the machine he'd wheeled in. He flips a few switches, the machine lighting up and humming quietly. "You see, I'm going to ask Riley a couple of very important questions. If she answers truthfully to all of them, we'll move on to the next person. If she gets one wrong...well, I guess you'll see what happens. And don't think about trying to trick me, Riley," he says. "I've become very aware recently of some of this team's deepest secrets, so I'll know if you lie. And honestly, you should all be thanking me. People that work together the way you do shouldn't have so many secrets. I'm doing you all a favor."

Mac pulls at his restraints again. He needs to get to her, to remove whatever contraption Murdoc rigged up to her. If that psycho hurts her…

"Now then," Murdoc speaks with far too much glee in his voice, "let's get started." He flips a few more switches and then grabs a small device with a button on the end of it. "Riley...when you followed Angus to infiltrate Codex when everyone else branded him a traitor, did you have even a moment of doubt about it?"

"No," Riley answers without hesitation. "Because I trust him. I knew he wouldn't do that without a reason, and I knew he needed someone to have his back. I didn't think twice."

Mac offers Riley a small smile when she looks at him. He already knew this, of course, she'd told him as much when they were in the truck driving that day. He knows she'll always have his back. And he'll always have hers. That's just who they are.

"And do you love Angus?"

He watches as Riley's eyes go wide for a split second before she relaxes and shifts in her seat, her fists clenching and unclenching. Why does she seem so reluctant to answer?

"Of—of course, I do," she finally says, a slight waver to her voice. "Mac's one of my best friends."

Seconds later, burning electricity shoots through him, his entire body feeling like it's on fire. It's quick, but it does its damage. His ears are ringing and he can feel the familiar metallic taste of blood in his mouth.

All he hears is shouting when his ears stop ringing. He blinks a few times and focuses on his friends yelling various obscenities at Murdoc. Except for Riley. She's watching him with tears in her eyes, her mouth clamped shut.

Murdoc shakes his head, tutting again. "And we were off to such a great start. I told you to tell the truth, Riley."

"I did," Riley insists, her eyes almost pleading as she looks at Murdoc. "Please don't hurt him."

"Whether he gets hurt or not again is completely up to you." He takes a deep breath, hits a few switches, and then looks at Riley. "Let's try this one more time, shall we?" He steps around from behind the machine and approaches Riley, stopping right beside her chair and squatting so he can look her in the eyes.

"Keep your hands off her," Mac shouts when he sees Murdoc reaching up to touch Riley's hair. "Murdoc! Touch her again and I'll—"

"What?" Murdoc snaps, his eyes darting to him. "What will you do to me, Angus?"

Mac bites his tongue, pulling again at his restraints even though he knows it's useless.

Murdoc smirks. "That's what I thought." He turns back to Riley. "Now then, Riley, maybe I wasn't clear enough last time. When you're around Angus, even when you just think about him, does your heart race? Does your body get all warm and tingly whenever his hand lingers too long on your arm or your back? Does your heart break a little more whenever you see him with Desiree? Does it make you want to cry whenever you think about how you think your feelings for him will always be unrequited and you'll always be left wondering what could have been? Do you push your feelings down in the hopes that you won't get hurt?" The assassin gets right down next to her so his face is mere inches from hers. "Do...you...love...Angus?"

Riley has tears in her eyes as she looks up at him. A few tears roll down her cheeks, her voice barely above a whisper, "Yes."

Mac's eyes close as his body tenses up of its own accord, waiting for the electric shockwave that doesn't come. His brows furrowing tightly, he looks at Riley, takes in the way her body is shaking slightly from crying. He hates seeing her cry like that. He just wants to be able to hug her and tell her everything is going to be okay.

"Well, that was a great first round of questioning, don't you think?"

Mac turns a hardened stare upon Murdoc. "Okay. You've had your fun, Murdoc. Now let us out of here."

"Oh, no no no, Angus," Murdoc says with a smile, slowly walking toward him. "We're just getting started. Now it's your turn to answer some questions. And remember, answer truthfully." He leans down until their faces are inches apart. "You know what'll happen if you don't." He breathes deeply and stands up straight. "Now then, Angus, throughout the course of your…courtship, have you ever once stepped out on Desiree?"

"No," Mac answers through gritted teeth. Relief floods through his system when no one jolts. He knows it's the truth, but in a situation like this, he knows the others are happy to have that extra reassurance.

Murdoc smiles. "Excellent. Have you ever _thought_ about stepping out on Desiree?"

"No." Again, no one jolts.

"Wonderful. And when you look at Riley, do you find yourself thinking about her in a more than friendly way before you catch yourself and force your thoughts elsewhere?"

Mac stays silent, his jaw clenching tightly.

"Ooh, suddenly you're not so quick to answer. Must have hit a sensitive subject. Let's try this one on for size, then." Murdoc leans down closer to him, his eyes drifting over to Riley for just a moment. "Are you starting to develop feelings for Riley, Angus?"

Mac breathes deeply, shifting in his chair and staring down at the cement flooring. He doesn't want to answer, doesn't want to speak the truth that he's been denying. Because he and Riley are friends, and that's all he ever thought they'd be. He also doesn't want to hurt Desi. He knows things have been rough for them lately, but he still cares about her.

"Well...what's it gonna be, Angus?" Murdoc asks, waving the button device in his face. "Are you starting to develop feelings for Riley?"

Mac lifts his head, stares at Murdoc with a hard glare, wishing more than anything that he was out of these restraints. And then his gaze shifts to Riley and softens immediately upon looking at her.

He takes another deep, shaky breath. "Yes."

Murdoc grins. "There. That wasn't so hard, now, was it? You've both done an excellent job so far. Time to move on."

Mac doesn't spend another moment on Murdoc, only just barely hears the questions being asked to Desi and Bozer but he doesn't dwell on them. Doesn't even bother to listen for the tell-tale sound of electricity or his friend's screams. All he can focus on is Riley.

Tears continue to slowly pour from her eyes but she refuses to look at him. She's staring at the floor instead, her hands balled tightly into fists.

It takes everything in him not to call out to her, to ask her if she's okay. He doesn't want to draw any more of Murdoc's attention. They just have to get through this and then he'll let them go. He'll have his fun and then release them. No matter how badly he wishes he could get them out of this one, he knows that he can't. One of the rare instances where he's completely at a loss of what to do.

Eventually, they make it out. Right as soon as Murdoc has finished his sick game and is starting to gloat, a Phoenix team blasts the door in, guns trained up and ready to fire if need be. There's a lot of shouting and heavy boots hitting the ground as the team surrounds them. Murdoc is cuffed and then each of them is cut free.

Mac rubs at his wrists but remains in his chair for a moment longer. He was the only one who'd had electricity shot through his body, he needs to be sure he can stand before he tries to. He lets out a huff of air when he sees Riley being led out of the room before he gets the chance to grab her attention. He needs to talk to her, needs to make sure she's okay.

When he finally stands, he's grateful that his legs don't give out on him, that he's able to maintain his balance. He lets one of the Phoenix team members lead him out of the building and toward an ambulance. He has to shield his eyes at first once he steps outside, the bright sunlight hurting his eyes that have been in the dark for so long.

He sits just inside the back of the ambulance, allowing the paramedics to check him over. He feels perfectly fine, but he lets them do their job. He knows it'll make Matty feel better with them all getting checked over.

The medics are barely a few minutes into checking him over when he sees a flash of brown out of the corner of his eye. He whips his head around despite the words of protest from the medic, and his eyes lock onto her form lingering a few feet away from him.

"Riley!" he calls out to get her attention. She turns toward him but then promptly looks away. His eyebrows furrow together. "Riley!" This time she doesn't turn and he lets out a frustrated huff.

Waving off the medics who are checking him over, and ignoring their pleas for him to stay put, he steps down off the back of the ambulance and quickly makes his way across the pavement. He ducks and bobs through the various Phoenix personnel that are gathered there, his eyes fixed on Riley.

When he finally reaches her, she's starting to move away from him so he reaches out to grab her arm. "Riles, hang on."

She stops and turns toward him, gently pulling her arm from his grasp. "What do you want, Mac?"

"I want to talk. About what happened inside."

She shakes her head. "There's nothing to talk about."

"I think there is." He shifts on his feet. "You said...well, we both know what you admitted. But can you say the actual words to me when our lives aren't being threatened?"

She looks down at the ground, shifting on her feet, and breathes deeply. When she looks back up at him, she has tears shining in her eyes. "I love you, Mac. I have for a while now." She swallows thickly. "But uh...but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to mess up whatever you and Desi had. Even though it hurt to see you two together."

He takes a small step toward her. "Riley…"

She holds a hand up and shakes her head. "No. Please, please let me finish, okay?" her voice is quiet, sounding so sad and resigned, and so unlike the Riley he's used to.

He just nods silently.

She lets out a breath, running her hand through her hair. "I know this changes things now...everything that happened in there changes things for all of us. But I don't want to lose you, Mac. Above all else, you're my best friend."

He shakes his head. "You're not going to lose me, Riley."

She laughs humorlessly. "Really? Because it already feels that way. We don't hang out like we used to. Everything's already been changing, and I've already been losing you. I never said anything, though, because I didn't want to cause a bigger rift between us." She swallows thickly, shifting on her feet. "I get that life happens, and nothing ever stays the same for too long, but the one thing I always thought I could count on was our friendship, that you would always be there. And now...now it's starting to feel like that's slipping away too." She hastily wipes at her eyes.

Mac's heart slowly sinks lower into his stomach, his mind flashing back to when they were stuck in quarantine and Bozer ripped him a new one for not being there as a friend. Has he been neglecting his friendship with Riley too? He never thought he'd be the kind of person that would start to forget about the people who are most important to him and have always been there. That's the one person he never wanted to become.

Letting out a heavy breath, Mac steps toward Riley, grateful when she doesn't move away, and rests his hands on her upper arms. "Riley Davis, I promise you are not going to lose me. You mean way too much to me and I'm sorry I haven't made that more clear recently. I should have. But I think what happened inside goes to show just how important you are." He takes a deep breath. "I've been developing feelings for you for a while now, but I think I've just been too scared to admit it. I was worried that you wouldn't feel the same way. But now I know that you do."

She nods, the tiniest of smiles tugging at her lips. "Hell of a way for you to find that out."

A quick laugh escapes. "Yeah. The only thing I don't know is where we go from here."

"Well, I plan on going home and downing a few beers while binge-watching whatever I can find on Netflix."

He smiles at her attempt to inject humor into the situation, his hands sliding down her arms to grab her hands. "Riley…"

She sighs, turning her hands to grab his and give them a small squeeze. "I know. We need to talk some more about things, Mac, but you also need to talk to Desi. And I think we both need to work on ourselves a little before we even think about taking this anywhere. We need to get back to us. Okay?"

He nods. "Okay. We're both on the same page, though, right? We both want to give this a try?"

She smiles. "Mac, I've been wanting to give this a try for a very long time. But I think you know as well as I do that you have some personal stuff to figure out before getting into another relationship."

He sighs heavily, hanging his head for just a moment while his eyes close. He hasn't wanted to admit it, but he knows he has some issues to work through. And if he wants even the slightest chance at exploring a romantic relationship with Riley, he needs to make sure he's in the right headspace to do so. She deserves him when he's at his best.

"Hey, what are you thinking about up there?"

Lifting his head, he offers her a small smile. "That the thought of getting a chance to be with you is going to push me to better myself."

She shakes her head. "Don't do it for me. Do it for you." She smiles and gives a one-shouldered shrug. "A chance with me is just a nice incentive."

His smile widens. "It certainly is." He shifts on his feet and opens his mouth to say more when he notices Riley's eyes catch something over his shoulder. His brows furrow slightly as he follows her line of sight, finding Desi slowly making her way closer, her hands tucked into the pockets of her jacket.

Riley squeezing his hands pulls his attention back to her. She smiles softly at him. "I'm gonna go see if one of these guys can give me a ride home, but I'll see you soon?"

He smiles back, nodding. "Yeah. We'll make plans to hang out. Promise."

She gives his hands one final squeeze before stepping back and turning around to walk toward the other Phoenix agents.

He stands there for a moment watching her walk away, a new hope ignited inside his chest at the possibility of a future with her. He might be jumping the gun a little, they haven't even been on a date yet, and he still has some personal things to work through. But he can't help himself. It's Riley.

"Mac."

Breathing deeply to prepare himself for what's to come, Mac slowly turns around to face Desi. He gives her half a smile, his hands sliding into the pockets of his jeans. "Desi, hey."

"Hey. We should probably talk."

**Author's Note:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> In case you couldn't figure it out while reading, this one was inspired by an episode of "Smallville" with Clark and Lois. Obviously, I know things aren't going to happen like this in the episode, but it was just something fun to do. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


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